Folded almanac, 15th century, written in England and containing medical and astrological material., Later 15th century.

Item

Identifier: Acc.12059/3

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

A folded almanac, designed to be worn on the girdle of its owner. It consists of 12 rectangular vellum sheets that are individually folded down to a sixth of their size. Each of them bears a Latin docket title to indicate its contents.

It includes a table of movable feasts, a calendar, astrological tables and signs of the zodiac, diagrams of eclipses of the sun and moon from 1387 to 1462, a volvelle, notes and diagrams on bloodletting and information on the planets.

The almanac was probably owned by a doctor. The calendar includes a number of northern English saints.

Written in red and black and decorated with initials in blue, mauve and gold leaf. Folios 1 and 7 have large initials showing mythical beasts. The volume is richly illustrated and contains a variety of tables and illustrations of planets and eclipses. It also contains two pictures of a complete human body, one in colour showing the areas of influence of the signs of the zodiac (folio 6 verso), and an ink drawing indicating the sites of bloodletting on the human body (folio 12).

Dates

Creation: Later 15th century.

Creator

From the Collection: Borthwick, family, of Crookston (Former owner, Family)

Conditions Governing Access

Normal access conditions apply.

Conditions Governing Use

Normal reproduction conditions apply, subject to any copyright restrictions.

Extent

1 Volumes ; 24 x 7.4 x 3.5 cm.

Language of Materials

Latin

Additional Description

Physical Description

12 folded sheets, vellum. The volume measures 24 x 7.4 x 3.5 cm with all sheets folded. The sheets vary slightly in size when unfolded. The front and back boards of the volume are covered in silver fabric (?silk) on the inside and green silk on the outside, possibly dating from the 16th century. The green silk in particular is now very fragile.